The women were chosen for making an extraordinaryimpact in their careers or volunteer work that has improved local business, education, culture and philanthropy. About 370 people attended the Nov. 16 event.

Pauls is an internationally-known expert in female sexual dysfunction and sexual pain. The 50,000- member American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists named her a 2012 Mentor of the Year for her work training surgeons.

“Rachel would come into work an hour early to teach first-year obgyn residents about urogynecology, giving freely of her time to make certain we became expert on significant areas of women’s pelvic health,” said Dr. Arpurva Pancholy, a former CUA Fellow and now assistant professor of urogynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “Her instruction and modeling of organized, professional behavior has positively informed my practice and enhanced my life.”

Pauls’ research focuses on pelvic floor disorders, female sexual function, and the impact of urogynecologic surgeries on sexuality. A Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Surgeons in Canada, she and co-researchers at CUA have presented 20 original studies to conferences nationally and internationally over the last year.

Pauls also serves as reviewer for 12 peer- reviewed publications and is on the editorial board for The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

In addition to her practice and teaching roles for TriHealth’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency and Fellowship Programs, Pauls is co-director of the Women’s Center for Specialized Care at Good Samaritan Hospital. She is a consultant for corporations involved in interventions for pelvic organ prolapse and sexual function, and volunteers for several national organizations, including the American Urogynecologic Society’s Education Committee.

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